Hundreds of elephants, wildebeests and zebras dead in Kenya amid prolonged drought.
A deadly drought is ravaging Kenya’s savannah, killing at least 400 elephants and wildebeests, and leaving almost a third of its cattle dead.
Over the past two months, the drought has forced herders to abandon their herds, leaving tens of thousands of animals in a desperate search for food.
The dead animals have been found in fields and riverbanks – some weighing up to 10,000 kg – and according to wildlife experts, the elephant and wildebeest die most quickly in drought conditions.
“This is probably one of the worst droughts we have seen at a time when the population is growing,” Kenyan national parks senior lecturer, Dr Martinus Parekatt, said.
“It is a real catastrophe. The wildebeest have not been affected as much as the elephant, because the elephants have been moving to the waterholes at the moment.”
He said the wildebeests were more vulnerable because of their greater mobility, but the impact on the elephants has been “massive”.
Elephants have been found with their heads in water – possibly because of the drought – and some survivors are believed to have died from dehydration.
The most endangered species is the wildebeest, which is a species with a high level of genetic diversity, meaning that a single population can sustain itself for hundreds of years, and is one of only a few African plants to survive in the wild.
Droughts are the biggest threat to the survival of the entire elephant population.
Droughts are the biggest threat to the survival of the entire elephant population.
In the last 20 years, the number of elephants killed for ivory has been on the rise, as demand for their body parts has increased.
In 2016, the Chinese government banned the trade of elephant and rhino body parts. However, demand is still rising.
In 2015, the United States passed a law that bans the import and export of elephant ivory, which contributes to the continuing problem of poaching.
Kenya has only four remaining wild elephant populations. It has been on the path to extinction since it was declared a “least concern” in 1991.
After the country’s first census in the 1930s, the population was estimated at